The rates you pay every year are determined by four things:
- The value of your property
- The rate cap set by the Victorian State Government
- The cost of services, facilities and infrastructure in Wyndham
- Any extra charges.
We work out the total sum we need under the rate cap, then divide that number by the total value of all the properties in Wyndham.
The number we get gives us the rate in the dollar, which in 2025/26 is $0.002216 for general developed land. This means that for every dollar your property is worth, you will pay 0.2216 cents in rates.
For example, if your property is valued at $500,000, we calculate your rates by multiplying $0.002216 by 500,000, which works out to $1108.
The value of your property
All property valuations for rates are done by the Valuer-General, who is appointed by the Victorian State Government.
To value your property, the Valuer-General uses information like:
- market sales and rental evidence
- inspections of the property
- any building and planning permits attached to the property.
We use the Capital Improved Value (CIV) to calculate rates. This rate shows the total market value of the land, as well as any buildings and other improvements.
Objecting to your valuation
If you do not agree with the valuation in your rates notice, or you believe that the Valuer-General has made a mistake, you can make an objection through the Department of Transport and Planning. You must do this within two months of the issue date of your rates notice.
For more information about objections, see the Lodge an objection about your rates page.
The rate cap
The rate cap is a percentage set every year by the Victorian State Government that determines how much local councils can charge for rates.
For the 2025/2026 financial year, the rate cap is set at 3%.
See the video for more information.
How does rate capping work? Video transcript
Why your rate increase might be different to the rate cap
The rate cap applies to the total amount that a council collects for rates, not to each individual rates notice. This means that some ratepayers will pay less than the rate cap and some will pay more. Your rates are determined by the value of your property.
The cost of services, facilities and infrastructure in Wyndham
Every year, we calculate how much money we need to supply services like:
- libraries
- kindergartens
- roads and footpaths
- parks and open spaces
- community centres.
Because our area is growing rapidly, we need to use the full amount allowed under the rate cap. This means we can continue to develop services and infrastructure to growing areas and keep building the liveability of Wyndham City.
Any extra charges
Waste charge
Your rates notice includes a separate charge for waste. Every year, this charge pays for:
- a weekly collection of rubbish
- a collection of recycling and food and organic waste every fortnight
- three free hard and green waste collections
- one free trip to the tip/Refuse Disposal Facility.
Our aim is to stop 90 percent of waste ending up in landfill by 2040.
Municipal charge
Your rates notice includes a municipal charge that helps cover administrative costs.
Emergency services and volunteers fund
The emergency services and volunteers fund is collected by the State Revenue Office of Victoria (SRO) and replaces the fire services property levy. It helps fund emergency response services like Fire Rescue Victoria, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Triple Zero Victoria.
The amount you will pay for the emergency services and volunteers fund is calculated using:
- the classification of your property (residential, commercial, industrial etc)
- the CIV of your property.
For more information about the emergency services and volunteers fund, see the SRO website.